First report of the brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus C. L. Koch (Araneae: Theridiidae) from India

Shukla, S and Broome, VG (2007) First report of the brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus C. L. Koch (Araneae: Theridiidae) from India. In: Current Science, 93 (6). pp. 775-777.

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Abstract

The Theridiids or comb-footed spiders comprise a large and diverse family. They are nocturnal and web-living. Spiders of the Theridiidae family build irregular snares, from the threads of which they suspend themselves in an inverted position waiting for their prey. They are distinguished from other spiders by the presence of a distinct comb on the tarsus of the fourth pair of legs, consisting of a row of strong curved and toothed setae, bristles of which are onger than those on the dorsal side of tarsus IV, and their labium is not rebordered1,2. The family is best known due to the notoriety of its genus Latrodectus, also called widow spider.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Current Science
Publisher:	Indian Academy of Sciences
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Indian Academy of Sciences.
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	18 Jul 2008
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:47
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/15097

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